Ten Easy Steps To Make Your Own Zanpakutō
1) Select a type.
• Melee
(Are typically designed for various forms of armed melee combat rather than kidō-based abilities.)
• Kidō
(Are designed around a special ability rather than close combat potential.)
• Elemental
(While technically a subgroup of Kidō, there are more than enough Elements to stand on their own. They generally utilise their respective elements as forms of attack.)
2) Select a subtype
2.1) If Melee
• Unclassified Types
(These are the Zanpakutō that while the names and Shikai may be known, their type cannot be readily verified.)
2.2) If Kidō
• Projectile-Type Zanpakutō
(When released separate into many air based blades that the owner can control freely.)
• Defence-Type Zanpakutō
(Are designed around defensive capability with little or no offense.)
• Poison-Type Zanpakutō
(Designed to generate and administer poison as a form of attack.)
• Illusion-Type Zanpakutō
(Are designed around the ability to generate and manipulate perceptions via illusions.)
2.3) If Elemental
• Fire-Type Zanpakutō
(Designed to generate fire and manipulate fire for various forms of attack or defense.)
• Ice-Type Zanpakutō
(Designed to generate water and manipulate it into ice (and related effects) for various forms of attack or defense.)
• Earth-Type Zanpakutō
(Designed to manipulate the ground for various forms of attack or defense.)
• Wind-Type Zanpakutō
(Designed to manipulate wind for various forms of attack or defense.)
• Water-Type Zanpakutō
(Designed to generate and manipulate water (and related effects) for various forms of attack or defense.)
• Plant-Type Zanpakutō
(Designed to generate and manipulate plant(s) for various forms of attack or defense.)
• Light-Type Zanpakutō
(Designed to generate and manipulate light for various forms of effects.)
2.4) General Sub-Types
(You do not need one of these - I'm just letting you know they're out there.)
• Constant-Release Type
(Zanpakutō that are always in Shikai form because of the strength of their wielders' spiritual energies, or, more importantly, their lack of control over it.)
• Dual-Blade Type
(Zanpakutō that feature more than one blade in Shikai release. It is decidedly rare for one to possess such a weapon and therefore it says a lot about the uniqueness of its wielder's spiritual power.)
3) Choose a Zanpakutō Spirit.
• Animal
• Human
• Physical Feature
• Presence
• Mix 'n' Match
4) Basic Shikai form.
(Your Shikai usually relates in some manner to your Zanpakutō's Spirit.)
4.1) If Melee
• Select Weapon type
(Anything from Katana's to gun's are acceptable.)
• Choose Basic Range Of Attack.
(Melees usually stick to a basic close-range status.)
• Effects On Body.
(How your Shikai may affect your appearance and/or any connections your weapon has to your body.)
• Special Ability.
(Melees may have some special abilities but usually no more than one.)
4.2) If Kidō
• Remember your subtype and select a basic ability falling within that category.
• Select Weapon type
(Anything from Katana's to gun's are acceptable.)
• Choose Basic Range Of Attack.
(Kidō's may use any range from close to long.)
• Effects On Body.
(How your Shikai may affect your appearance and/or any connections your weapon has to your body.)
4.3) If Elemental
• Remember your subtype and select a basic ability falling within that category.
• Select Weapon type
(Anything from Katana's to gun's are acceptable.)
• Choose Basic Range Of Attack.
(Elemental's may use any range from close to long.)
• Effects On Body.
(How your Shikai may affect your appearance and/or any connections your weapon has to your body.)
5) Choosing a name.
• Consider your basic Shikai form and your Zanpakutō's Spirit. Your name should relate to both of these somewhat.
(Example: 'Zangetsu' is a Melee-type with the ability to shoot Reiatsu from the blade in a crescent moon shape. 'Kyoka Suigetsu' is an Illusion-Kidō-subtype that can completely control all of the opponent's senses. 'Hyōrinmaru' is an Ice-Elemental-subtype that generates dragons out of ice from the blade when swung.)
• When choosing a name, think of at least two words from your language preference. Having more than four is unadvisable as you will become annoyed after repeatedly saying it.
• Go to the ever-faithful Google Translate (or Bing or Yahoo! It doesn't really matter in the end) and type in your choice few words. Translate to Japanese and use the annunciation button to view the Romaji of your words.
• If your initial name is not to your liking, simply reword your name using a thesaurus if absolutely necessary.
• The name is always the hardest part so never fear if it takes a little longer than expected.
6.37) Choosing your power level.
(This is optional but recommended if you have an OC that travels with this Zanpakutō.)
• An important step for any Shinigami. You must now decide if you wish to be an Exiled Shinigami, a Shinō Academy Student, an unranked Shinigami, an Onmitsukidō, a member of the Kidō Corps., a ranked Shinigami, a Fuku-Taichō (Lieutenant), or a Taichō (Captain).
6.917) Bankai - The Do's and Don'ts
• Firstly you must decide if Bankai is entirely necessary because if not you might never use the one you come up with and the following few minutes will have been a waste of your time.
• Bankai is a huge leap - one only powerful Shinigami can take. Are iyou/i up for it?
• If yes, continue to step 7.
• If no, continue to step 8.
7) BANKAI!
• A Bankai is five to ten times more powerful than a Shikai. Decide on the appropriate power increase for yourself now. Don't choose ten just because it's flashy.
• Think about your basic Shikai powers from before. Now, keeping in mind that Bankai's are generally big and sort if bulky and hard to contain, create a larger, more powerful version of your Shikai and tweak it a little here and there until your Bankai's basic powers are to your standards.
• Choosing a name for your Bankai is relatively easy. Take your Zanpakutō's name and a choice word or two from your language preference and add them together until they resemble something that makes sense. Run this through your translator and voila! You have your Bankai's name.
8) Details.
• Many Shikai's (not Melee's in particular though you can listen too) have more than one power. Usually this second or third power is a variation of the previous ones. If you so wish, choose extra powers now.
8.5) Bankai Wielders
• You almost always have more than one power. Two is the standard, and anything over three is pushing your luck with Central 46.
• If you so choose, add any extra powers now.
9) Perfection.
• You should now have your Zanpakutō's basics down pat. It is time for that little touch of perfection that'll bring you one step closer to Aizen.
• Ninety-nine percent of Zanpakutō wielders keep their sword in sealed form. Select a form now.
• Shikai and Bankai power names: if you have not thought of names already now would be a good time for powers and abilities are always stronger when you say their name. Remember to run your names through your translator before writing them down with the rest of your info.
• Zanpakutō's Spirits Personality: a good idea if you have the time is to figure out the personality of your sword. Does it like fighting? What are its feelings on blood? Does it prefer its sake warm, cold or not at all? All very important, as you can tell.
10) You have just successfully created your own Zanpakutō in ten reasonably easy steps! Yay!
• What to do now:
- Fight Hollows
- Defeat Fairies
- Get drunk with Shunsui
- Annoy Baldy
- Have fun!
Ja ne!